The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-26

around nay State I feel that these administra.
lions have been beneficial to her people. and
a credittothe Democratic party which elected
and installed these Governors In office. Gen.
Nichols was elected Governor at the time we
redeemed the State. We placed him in office
at she same time. Taking AWAY no credit
from Gen. Nichols, / DENY the statement
thai has been made that he redeemed the
Statea The Democratic party of Louisiana,
the white men Of Louisiana, redeemed the
state st the same time thu. they put Gsn;
the people to secure the acknowledgment by
the natioHal government OF the victory which
they had won. .IApplanse.l And Gen. Mich
oils well and nobly fulfilled the task which
criticism to offer upon any single act OF his
administration. During a great part OF the
time | was a member, OF the Legislature
which seught to uphold his hands and to
support him in all his efforts to secure the
acknowledgment of the redemption of our
State There may~hage been measures
adopted which did not command my apnIT-
baton Sif;aEza at the the time. / am net PREPARED 9 sio e
the full need OF praise which is due
to that distinguished gentleman whe fulfilled
the duties Of his office well md trnly, snd
who has o right to claim anything which he
may desire at the hands of the people of Lou
isiana. lie WAS followed by tllst distin-
guished young Creole, Louis A. ,Niitz, whose
love for his people had earned him an endur.
ing place in the memories of the people OF
Louisiana. ~[Applayse.l Gen. Nichols was
retired from Office, as was said to-day, by
Gen. Nichols retired frezn office Voluntarily.
He stated at the time that he did not desire
to hold the Office longer. public life WAS dis
tasteful to him. He preferred to retire from
III the duties of professional life that rest,
qniet I'M peace which was more eongenlsi TO
his tastes. [ do not aafnit, as was said to-
day, that Gen. Nichols was legisiated out OF
Office.
THE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA
adopted a new Constitution, the, natural
result of which was 10 yacate all the offices
of the State and to remit to the people the
duty OF filing them. with new tncumbents,
or with the old, as might DO their pleasure,
and Gen. Nichols did not offer himself to
the people of Louisiana as a candidate for
reelection. Gov. Wiltz was elected and was
removed by untimely death, and Coy; Nc
Emery, the present Executive of the State,
came into office, ns Lieutenant Governor, to
fill out his u~nexpired term. He was again
elected by the people, and is now serving the
Emery. like his predecessors, is on trial before
the people of this State. Gov. MeEReFy, like
Gov. Nichols. is q candidate for reelection,
and the bright lights are turned upon him,
upon the record which he has made, and
npon every act of his political life, and |
stand here. fellow citizens, ready to give to
Gov. MelGnery the same credit which l accord
to his Democratic pfedecessors-thaE of hay
/ LII D6Ol q 4ulIlltbl3 LII oltO aJlV
public servant, who has discharged his du-
ties to the people with efficiency and sbility,
with credit to himself, and with honor to the
State. lApplause.l
fault with the candidacy of Gen. Nichols, or
| the candidacy of Coy. McEnery. The Office
OF GOVERNOR is q high and honorable one. 1t
lis one to which any honorable citizen may
well aspire. Gen. Nichols, as / said before,
has q right to claim any honor at the hands
Of his feliow-eitizels that he@anay desire, or
that they may desire TO confer upon him.
But Gen. Nichols does not come before the
people and tell them that he desires to be
Governor of Louisiana. Gen. Nichols comes
before the people like sefne 9oTioisnus drawn
from his retreat, and brought forward as his
friends say and as he himself iatiaates. for
tiae purpose of saving the Democratic party
and redeeming and reforming the. State
government. l am prepared to believe
does not desire to be Governor na Of Louis
lana, and that in being q candidate he does
not follow his own wishes: that public
life is distasteful to him. Then why. fellow
this crisis as a candidates Why, if he does not
want the Office, nor desire to be q candidate
does he offer himself to the people and does
he 20 through oil the parishes OF this State,
He says because he is told that he is the only
man who can uLify and harmonic the
Democratic party. Because he is told, fell
low-eitizens, thai. there is q public demand
ALL ILL A1SLA 4o LSi4Ndh " Ii RG1 pO55
OF saving the Democratic party and REFORM
ms or redeeming the State OF Louisiana.
Well, feHoH-citizens,
IoANEoT AGREE WITH Trts P-RETEasToN.
I am not prepared TO say that the State of
Louisiana requires salvation. / am not pre-
pared TO say that the State of Louisiana re-
Quires q savior, no matter who he may be, to
ON forward and redeem her; or that the
Democratic party requires the service of any
one man in the State OF. Louisiana for the
purpose Of unifying h~armonizing and
I cannot believe that the canvass which is
! undertaken by tho friends OF Gen. Nichols
is calculated to unity, harnoniZe or unite
the Democratic psriy. That canvas is
State administration. I have been charged,
feilow-c1tlzens, unlustly, with attempting to
Tead Democratsoat of the party. IhavaBeen
e bhrs e. a sl.h ID Il & t ana his f aaapdss Il "a not th .
memccratie HI I deny il. ~ admit
chat Gen. Nichsr aself Ii the pr of any
es2emocEat il ate: I sdEFIt that his
Railways have beh retI say that the canvass
which is being u by them is not . Demo-
cratic canvass, BECAUSE that canvass is in be-
half Of 2 man; because hat canvass is
II but one maj who can save
canvass is Waged against the present Demo-
e Ell nSna adminls als spgEa Tor rog,g which a1s ! bod that
MI - IN 0k2 R4R 1SAEN4 - III
my share of responsibility for it. It is the
DEMOCRATIC administration OF this State. 1t
was elected aid placed in power by the
the Administration is true TO the Democrats
party which placed it in power. as long asst
is worthy Of ahe supporta the people, It is
entitled TO the full supporter every Demo-
crat, and war should not be 1Sade upon il br
any portion u6 the Democratic party. Jap
plause. FetloW-eitizens, who told Gen.
Nichols that he. Woo the only man in the
State who could unity and harnaonize tie
from the people. or was Gen. .EichoIls
brought out by the people9 Was there any
great public mass meeting held In the chief
city Of the State. or anywhere else in any Of
the parishes, which called upon him to be-
come q candidate, and was that appeal taken
up IN other parishes and Sent reyeTberating
threygh the hills and valleys of Louisiana
people calling upon him 20 lead the Demo-
cratic party in the coming contest NV fell
low-citizens. 4 deny il Gen. Nichols was
called upon to be
4 BIZ a LETTER
written by a citizen OF the parish Of Caddo.
simultaneously. Yhey were published after
consultation. With whom was this cOnsulta-
tiea heidi Was il held with the peopie Of
gaddo, or held with the people Of New Or
leans, or the people OF Galcasieu; was it held
with the people Of Iouisiana9 No, my Tel.
low-eisizens, the candidate was first chosen,
and An address was issued afterWard calling
upon the people to attend meetings and
listen to Gen. Nichols and the speakers who
would be with him, and to rally to the sup
port Of his canaidature, and whatever en-
tisrsiasm, Whatever feeling there may be
among the people in favor Of the candidacy
OF Gen. Nichoilg-and there may be a great
deal-has been created BY that canvass, and
has not come from the people originally.
Now, fellow-citizens, i deny that any man
In this State il. necessary for the salvation Of
the Democratic party. fApplause.l j deny
the assertion that there is but one man in
this State who can unite and harmonic the
Democratic parry. / believe thai the nomina-
ton of any Democrat whoi is 4 trle and good
man will harmonic the Democratic party.
fApplauEe.
You are divided, fellow citizens of Galca-
sieu; you are in favor of different candi-
dates: the majority Of YOU may be supporters
OF the candidacy OF Gen. Nicholas but / I'M